Results 28,721-28,740 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: The community welfare service (CWS) and the community welfare officers providing it transferred formally to the Department of Social Protection (DSP) from 1 October 2011. The service and the staff are now part of the DSP. A claim for mortgage interest supplement has been received from the person concerned. A decision in relation to entitlement will be made when the supporting documentation...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (11 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: One parent family payment is a means tested social assistance payment. In assessing means, account is taken of all cash income which the person is receiving. Where a person is in receipt of a grant bursary along the lines described in this question, this is assessed euro for euro basis. Where a person is in receipt of maintenance payments or earnings from employment or self-employment, the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (11 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: One parent family payment is a means tested social assistance payment. In assessing means, account is taken of all cash income which the person is receiving. Where a person is in receipt of a grant bursary along the lines described in this question, this is assessed euro for euro basis. Where a person is in receipt of maintenance payments or earnings from employment or self-employment, the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (11 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: In order to qualify for a rent supplement a person must have been residing in private rented accommodation or accommodation for homeless persons or an institution (or any combination of these) for a period of 183 days within the preceding 12 months of the date of claim for rent supplement. A person may also qualify for rent supplement where an assessment of housing need has been carried out...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (11 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: The focus of the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) is to assist those who are most marginalised and distant from the labour market to acquire the necessary education to improve their chances of becoming independent of the social welfare system. The BTEA scheme can offer participation in second and third level education by enabling eligible people in receipt of certain social welfare payments...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: An Post is the principal agency through which payments are delivered to social welfare customers. The Department currently issues 5,190 payments on a weekly basis and a further 1,696 monthly payments through Donaghmede, Coolock and Raheny post offices. A breakdown of the number of payments per post office is listed below. Precise information on the number of customers who have designated...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (11 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal from the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer who proposes to hold an oral hearing in this case. There has been a very significant increase in the number of appeals received by the Social Welfare Appeals Office since 2007 when the intake was 14,070 to 2010 when the intake rose to 32,432. This has significantly...

Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (11 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: Community employment helps long-term unemployed people to re-enter the active workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to work routine. The focus of CE is on developing technical and personal skills to enable a person to return to the open labour market. Persons engaged are provided with work and training placements of 191⁄2 hours duration per week with a...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (11 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: Following on from the transfer of the Community Welfare Service from the Health Services Executive (HSE) to the Department of Social Protection, with effect from Saturday 1st October, legislation was commenced which provides that appeals for supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) will be made to the Social Welfare Appeals Office. Up to now, the legislation provided for a 2 step process, first...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: A claim for a State pension (contributory) was received from the person concerned on 10th March 2010. The claim was disallowed on 29th June 2010 as she had an outstanding PRSI (self-employment) liability, and the reason for this decision was communicated to her on that date. Section 110 (1) of The Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act of 2005 provides that a self-employed contributor shall not...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (6 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: The application for rent supplement by the person concerned was disallowed on the grounds that he did not have a housing need when assessed by the Local Authority and the rent was in excess of the rent limit for his area. The person concerned was notified of this decision in writing on 1st March 2011. No appeal against this decision has been received to date.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (6 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: The application for rent supplement by the person concerned was refused on the grounds that she did not meet the qualifying conditions of the scheme and that the rent being paid was in excess of the prescribed limit for her circumstances. This decision has been upheld by the designated Appeals Officer and the person concerned was notified by letter which was issued on 22nd September 2011.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (6 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: Late last year agreement was reached between the Health Service Executive (HSE) and unions representing the Community Welfare Officers that the staff of the Community Welfare Service (CWS) would transfer to the Department of Social Protection with effect from 1st January 2011 on a secondment basis initially. The period of secondment lasted for 9 months until the end of September 2011. During...

Written Answers — Money Advice and Budgeting Service: Money Advice and Budgeting Service (6 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) assists people who are over-indebted and need help and advice in coping with debt problems. There are 52 independent MABS companies operating the local MABS services from 65 locations throughout the country, with national support provided by the MABS NDL. In addition, the MABS National Telephone Helpline is available from 9am to 8pm Monday to...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (6 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 08 February 2011. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. These papers were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 21 June...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Code: Social Welfare Code (6 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: Ordinary employees who have access to the full range of social welfare benefits, including jobseeker's benefit, pay Class A PRSI at the rate of 4%. In addition, their employers make a PRSI contribution of 10.75% in respect of the employee, resulting in the combined payment of 14.75% per employee under full-rate PRSI Class A. (For employees earning less that €356, the rate of employer's...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Appeals: Social Welfare Appeals (6 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: Payment of illness benefit, to the person concerned, was disallowed by a Deciding Officer following an examination by a Medical Assessor of the Department who expressed the opinion that she was capable of work. An appeal was registered on 29 August 2011 and the Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that, in accordance with statutory requirements, the Department was asked for the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: The Community Welfare officer dealing with this case has advised that the person concerned was not previously awarded a rent supplement. The person concerned has been requested to either furnish an assessment of housing need by her local housing authority or documentation proving that she has been in private rented accommodation for a period of 183 days within the 12 month period prior to...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Fraud: Social Welfare Fraud (6 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: The Department has a wide ranging programme to combat social welfare fraud and abuse. In this context, I launched a new strategic fraud initiative in early September which takes a revised and renewed approach to the challenges posed by social welfare fraud. The ambition is to ensure that the public have confidence and trust in this Government's response to combating fraud and abuse in the...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Oct 2011)

Joan Burton: The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA) scheme operates from the beginning of June until the end of September each year. Departmental records show that no application form was received from the person concerned. A duplicate application form has been forwarded to the person concerned which he should complete and return immediately to Department of Social Protection at PO Box...